Wisniewski 1
Bill Wisniewski
ENG 1520
Dr. David James
6 August 2012
Teacher TenureToday, there seems to be a push to change the policy of teacher tenure. “Roughly 2.3 million public school teachers in the United States have tenure—a perk reserved for the noblest of professions (professors and judges also enjoy such rights).” (Stephey) Tenure refers to a policy which gives teachers a permanent contract that effectively ensuring them a guarantee of employment for life. Stephey continues to state, “Though tenure doesn’t guarantee lifetime employment, it does make firing teachers a difficult and costly process, one that involves the union, the school board, the principal, the judicial system and thousands of dollars in legal fees.” (Stephey) In making this comment, Stephey urges us to think about tenure process and what is involved in removing a teacher. Tenure started in the early 20th century as a means of protecting teachers from being fired for wrong reasons. Back then, racial or personal bias could get a perfectly good teacher fired. Female teachers even faced being fired for becoming pregnant or for wearing pants to work. Tenure also serves to protect professors whose research or teaching practices might ruffle feathers, and to ensure job security for out of the box academic pursuits. Typically, tenure is granted to university professors only after an intensive and protracted process of review. Professors usually do not come under review for tenure until they have spent at least five years working in their position. Primary and secondary school teachers can earn tenure in as little as two years on the job. Should teacher tenure be abolished? Wisniewski 2

In 2000, 36 year old Leslie Jermyn went to teach her first course as a seasonal lecturer at the University of Toronto for $4,550, she taught 100 students a two month first year anthropology course. Though Jermyn would go on to teach courses every summer for the next 11 years, the job was never guaranteed, and every year she experienced “gut wrenching tension” waiting to find out whether she won the contract. “Often I was hired within two weeks of the start time of the course.” For years she had no benefits and worked out of a shared office, furnished with one desk and telephone. In 2007, after she had been teaching upwards of 800 students a year for three years straight, she argued to the dean that her department needed a regular teaching position. That didn’t work, and Jermyn says she knows why:”I’m cheaper without benefits.” (Findlay) When university’s replace full time professors with a seasonal lecturer, it undermines the whole profession. Today, tenure gives teachers protection from being able to take chances with material that may be deemed controversial or speaks out about the latest headlines or issues at hand. According to Nelson, “In truth, many Americans deserve better job security than they have. But people responsible for teaching your children have a special need to be protected from capricious dismissal.” Nelson continues to say,” If your children are going to be taught to think rigorously and creatively—which is their best route--they need to be taught by teachers who can be rigorous and creative and courageous as well.” (Nelson) In making these comments, Nelson argues that tenure is a necessity if our children are to succeed by exposing them to different teaching methods. The argument that tenure is just a matter of showing up to work and putting in your time is reflected in this article written by the: The New York State United Teachers, “Mythbusters: The Truth About Tenure”, Wisniewski 3

“Unions don’t grant tenure – administrators do. Too many school boards and superintendents attack tenure rather than hold their own managers accountable for hiring and supervising teachers and, if necessary, removing those who don’t make the grade.” (Mythbusters) In most cases when a teacher earns tenure there are very few reviews and if the reviewer likes...

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...Alicia Martinez
Miss Martinez
AP English
14 April 2014
Period 4
TeacherTenure Synthesis Prompt
Question 1
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)
Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources.
This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent , well-written essay. When you synthesize sources, you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be central; the sources should support your argument. Avoid merely summarizing the sources.
Remember to attribute both direct and indirect references.
Introduction
Tenure is a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause. If it is defined as such, it would appeal to most as reason. Excellent teachers do deserve a secure job with benefits. Teachers do deserve to have their future protected; but what about the children’s future? Who will protect the minds of tomorrow from teachers who just sit and wait for their pension funds fill up?
Assignment
Read the following sources (including the introductory information) carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three sources for support, evaluate the most important...

...Tenure vs. Nontenure: Two Tracks Diverge
In tough economic times, the number of nontenure-track faculty is rising. What are the implications of this trend?
By Mike Wright
In the faculty world, tenure is good. It's seen as an almost sacred concept that leads to the highest-quality instruction, ground-breaking research, and institutional loyalty in the nation's colleges and universities.
The trend over the last decade, however, is an increase in nontenure-track faculty on campuses across the country. This comes as enrollments continue to set records and economically troubled times strain resources.
Between 1992 and 1998, according to figures from the American Council on Education, across all institutions of higher learning in the United States, the percentage of tenure-track faculty declined from 41 to 38 percent. Among public research universities, the decrease was from 63.5 to 57.6 percent. Nation-wide, the presence of part-time faculty grew by 79 percent between 1981 and the turn of the century.
The issue has attracted the attention of the media, university trustees, faculty councils, and students across the country as administrators struggle to find the right balance for their campuses. Indiana University is not exempt from the debate.
IU is following the national trend in one regard — the number of nontenure-track full-time positions has increased on all campuses. But the university is bucking the national...

...Tenure-Teacher’s Safeguard
In 1855, the first National Education Association was established in the United States. In 1886, Massachusetts introduced TeacherTenures. In 1909, New Jersey passed the first K-12 Tenure Law (Herbert 549). Has been developed throughout the history, teachertenure has achieved innumerable beneficial and secured laws for teachers. Originated in ancient Greek,tenure is the protection and long-term employment for teachers from arbitrary dismissal, and it also allows teacher to focus on teaching without worrying of being fired (Herbert 549). However, in the recent dates, tenure’s value has been questioned due to many reasons. People who are against the system argue that tenure declines the teachers’ educational performances, and it is almost impossible to remove any poor performing teachers. Should teachertenure be abolished? Although teachertenure has been historically controversial, it should not be changed because it offers crucial, necessary protection from unreasonable dismissal and encourages instructors keeping the motivation in teaching.
First, tenure will protect teachers from being fired because of personal, political, or other non-work related reasons. Before having the...

...Oral Presentation
Chapter 17: Academic Freedom and Censorship: Teacher Rights or Responsibilities
How should the proper balance between teacher freedom and responsibility be determined?
Position 1: Fir increased Academic Freedom:
* Schools are at the center of local debates about touchy subjects such as, morals, sex and sexual orientation, religion, politics, economics, racism, and a host of other social value controversies.
* Censorship denies, defeats, or diminishes academic freedom!
* Sex, Politics, and Religion: A few Cases
* A parent in Loathe, Kansas, demanded that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men be banned from the school curriculum and classroom because the book is “worthless” and “profanity filled.” The Majority rejected the effort.
* In Oakley, California, some parents wanted the same Steinbeck book banned for racial descriptions.
* Schools use the popular Philip Pullman book The Golden Compass was protested by a group of parents and Christian leaders in Winchester, Kentucky; because Pullman was call “an atheist” and the book “anti-Christian.”
* A high school history teacher in Denver Public Schools was dismissed because the city newspaper published his and other candidates’ views as they ran for congressional seat” the district thought his views were too controversial. He won the case but the district limited him to teaching Basic English and erased his teaching history....

...
TeacherTenure
Imagine a world where teachers were perfect and students never failed exams. This world is impossible, due to the fact that no one is perfect. Unfortunately, the reality is that some teachers are very bad at their jobs. Many grade unfairly, don’t thoroughly cover the course material, and fail to make their class enjoyable. College students pay good money for an education and expect quality teachers to help them learn effectively. It is for reasons like this that teachers should not be rewarded with tenure after a certain amount of time. This idea of teachertenure has good intentions behind it, but there are too many negative outcomes that arise from this regulation. Teachertenure removes incentive to improve teaching, makes it more difficult to remove underperforming teachers, and makes seniority the main factor of employment instead of performance quality.
Teachertenure started in the late 1900s around the same time as some other labor movements. Some of these movements protested for safer work environments or higher pay. Teachertenure was an idea that arose in order to protect teachers from being fired for non-work related reasons. For example, before tenure, women could be removed from teaching...

...Running head: TENURE IN TODAY'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Tenure in Today's Educational System
Michael Mares, Rick Mann , Elise Margolin, Lisa Mack
Grand Canyon University
Legal Issues in Education
EDA 532
Dr. Thomas Williams
February 13, 2010
Abstract
This paper discusses several key issues surrounding the practice of teachertenure, an often controversial and emotional subject in the arena of public education. The protection or terminations of teachers, lack of tenure in other occupations, the cost/benefit ratio, as well as the future of tenure are addressed.
Tenure in Today's Educational System
For the last one hundred years, teachertenure has been part of American public education. “The start of the tenure movement paralleled similar labor struggles during the late 19th century” (Stephey, 2008) and in 1910 New Jersey was the first state to pass legislation guaranteeing “fair dismissal rights to college professors” (ibid). The ensuing years have seen the spread and continuance of tenure to all public educators. Today, tenure is becoming more closely scrutinized than ever due to the importance placed on student test scores, academic progress, and graduation rates.
“Some...

...on the Security Tenure of Teacher”
What is Tenure?
A new teacher in a Michigan school district must serve a probationary period of four years. After four years satisfactory service in an appropriate position, a certificated teacher automatically attains tenure. If a teacher has already attained tenure with another Michigan school district, the probationary period is two years, but school districts have the discretion to waive some or all of that statutory two years.
The purpose of tenure is to provide a measure of job security for teachers, protection against arbitrary employment practices and political or personal patronage, and protection for academic freedom, fostering a classroom environment conducive to learning and open inquiry.
Tenure provides statutory protection for a teacher faced with discharge, demotion, or an unpaid suspension of more than three days. This protection is both procedural and substantive. The school board must follow the procedure mandated by the Tenure Act. The teacher has a right of appeal to the Tenure Commission. The school board must then prove at a Tenure Commission hearing that it had just cause to impose the penalty. The school board may suspend the teacher with pay pending the appeal...

...TeacherTenureTenure was first adopted for professors in universities to prevent their dismissal based on political, personal, or other non-work related reasons. It was a protection against any form of dismissal which was unjustified and unfair. Currently tenure is available for K-12 grade level teachers and is granted after a couple of years of evaluation. Although this protection is granted toteachers of all grade levels tenure can potentially and does present problems with the dismissal of unqualified teachers. Tenure prevents teachers who are under performing from being fired as it is costly to the district to remove these teachers. Because of this negative effect schools nation wide are falling behind other elite schools in the world. Tenure is certainly not the only problem with public education, but it should be considered one of the greatest factors which contributes to the failure of public education. Once a teacher becomes tenured it is easy for that teacher to stop teaching at an adequate level and cause students to fall behind. Teachers union maintain that tenure provides protection for teachers yet it arguably causes teachers to simply stop caring as the process of firing them is nearly impossible and very...